Check Out Darin Anthony’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darin Anthony.

Hi Darin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a local CA resident growing up in Seal Beach, I went to The Theatre School at DePaul University for college. After receiving my BFA, I did a little Chicago Theatre and some commercial work. I got my SAG card and headed back to LA but ended up taking a detour to the Bay Area. Stayed there for a couple of years and then finally landed back in LA. I was then ready to really attack the Los Angeles theatre scene. I found a fair amount of success in the 99-seat world as well as some of the larger venues. My one big turning point was connecting with my high school theatre chum Susan Egan. She was running a reading series at The Blank Theatre and asked me if I wanted to direct a reading. I decided to give it a try. It went well and caught the attention of Daniel Henning the Artistic Director. From there, Daniel continued to give me opportunities to direct and hone my skills at developing new plays. I would go on to take over that reading series and direct dozens of staged readings as well as four mainstage plays for the company, including The Book of Liz which ran for a year.

It became clear that directing was much more my passion than acting. I pursued it where ever I could. That beginning has lead to directing dozens of new plays and world premieres locally and around the country. I started a family about 12 years ago and longed for a more consistent and stable situation. I started applying for Artistic Director jobs around the county. Moving Arts had an open Artistic Director position and I thought the company and its work suited my bent for bold new theatre. I was hired by the search committee with a mind toward pushing our development of new plays to a hirer level. I started right away by creating the MADLab: Moving Arts Development Lab. We have since developed 29 new plays through the process, five of which have subsequent world premieres and three are scheduled for future World premieres. In addition to the MADLab, under my tenure, we have sharpened Moving Arts to be laser-focused on our own Los Angeles community of artists. We changed the mission statement to reflect a commitment to developing, promoting, and producing Los Angeles Artists. That has been reflected in the productions we have selected. My productions have garnered award nominations and high praise from the Los Angeles Times as well as other outlets.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been smooth sailing but it has been a pretty steady climb. I made the change from acting to directing mostly because I was drawn to it and felt a real aptitude for it but I was also not making a living as an actor. Once I started directing, I did find my footing again. However, breaking into larger venues has been challenging which again has hampered my ability to really make a living off directing. Taking over Moving Arts has been great because it has provided me with a great deal of artistic autonomy, but the logistic and economic realities of running a theatre are ever-present. Focusing on only new plays means we are limited in our marketing because none of the plays will have name recognition. Everyone loves the “hot new play” when they see it, but they don’t realize the number of potential “hot new plays” it takes to produce to get to a new play that works.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I direct theatre. I run a theatre company that is dedicated to new work. I am known for my skill at developing plays as they are coming together as well as launching world premieres. I approach every project with love, a probing mind, and an open heart. I think theatre is a collaborative art as well as an interpersonal one. We are all gathering to tell a story, present a world view or challenge a belief. We all need to work together. I focus on creating an environment where people can feel heard and are listened to. I try to bring everyone along and get the best they have to offer. I have a big laugh that I share readily and earnest passion that I don’t hide. I don’t believe in being cool or above the work, I get in with both hands and kneed the dough as is necessary.

What’s next?
I’m looking forward to getting out of this pandemic. It has been informative and reflective for sure. I hope that we can learn from our time away from the terrestrial theatres. We created a show in response to the pandemic, Isolation Inn. It’s a site-specific play that happens on Zoom. We will produce another five episodes to finish off what we started in 2020. That’s been a real treat as we get to contend with social upheaval, isolation, mental health and the inequities in the medical profession and just who gets to make a TV show now. My focus when we are able to again gather will be to focus more on the experience surrounding the plays. I think audiences more and more what that. They want something special that transports them or envelopes them makes them forget about their life for a while. We have some new plays that we have developed over the pandemic and I am anxious to share them with the theatre audiences of Los Angeles. Additionally, I am excited by the ways in which we can contribute to making social change in the world. We have a platform as artists to speak truth to power and to hold a mirror up to the world. We need to do that and we will. Our next five MADlab plays are all based in Los Angeles, not just by Los Angeles artists but taking place in and to some degree about life in Los Angeles. I want to show the world the beauty and depth of the great cultural city.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@movingarts.org
• Website: www.movingarts.org & www.darinanthony.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movingartstheatre/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/movingarts
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9HxAQPZKp1OLChTd2foGSA?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits:
1)Jennifer Sorensen Corryn Cummins Scott Golden Christopher Wallinger Production Dinner with Friend – CV-Rep 2)Sasha Sloan Larry Poindexter Production- The Devil You Know 3)Ann Noble Jackie Misaye Beeca Gorden Production- BLISS (Or Emily Post is Dead!) Photo Credit – Mae Koo 4)Liza Fernandez Justin Huen Production Apple Season Photo Credit – Benjamin Simpson 5)Justin Huen Rob Nagle Production Apple Season Photo Credit – Benjamin Simpson